http://www.eafl.org.uk/default.asp?topic=OilConf
The End of Oil - Conference on Peak Oil, Food and the EconomyLondon,
11th October 2005
A major conference examining the peak oil problem & its impact on
climate change, the world's food supply & the world economy. Speakers
include Michael Meacher MP, Tim Lang & Andrew Simms (of NEF), chaired by
Dr Ian Gibson MP. The conference is organised by East Anglia Food Link,
CRed, Sustain and PowerSwitch.
The problem
The world's oil supply is running out.
Most analysts agree that once we pass the half-way point in the world's
oil reserves, production will begin to drop off as the remaining
reserves are more difficult to extract. Some believe that point will
come in the next 12 months, others think we have 10 years or more left.
But either way, we need to prepare now by reducing our dependency on
this finite resource.Oil and gas supply 85% of the energy used in the
UK. By comparison, nuclear supplies 4% and renewables 1%. Can nuclear be
expanded by a factor of 20, or renewables by a factor of 85? Will coal
fill the gap, and at what cost to global warming? Do we have enough coal
left to expand its use 12 times over?
We rely on energy to produce, process and transport food. As energy
becomes more expensive, will our food system revert to local production
and organic methods? Can the world continue to feed itself at all
without cheap energy? What steps should we be taking right now to avert
future hunger?
Does the end of cheap oil herald the end of globalisation? Is the notion
of continual economic growth consistent with a shrinking energy supply?
Some observers predict a recession of 1930s proportions, but lasting
much longer. Others believe the economic system could be reinvented
along sustainable lines.
For more information on peak oil, see The Association for the Study of
Peak Oil and Gas or The Oil Depletion Analysis Centre. To join a network
of individuals concerned about peak oil go to Powerswitch.org.uk. Good
books on the subject include Richard Douthwaite's When the Wells Run
Dry, Matthew Simmons' Twilight in the Desert, and Colin Campbell's The
Coming Oil Crisis..
The End of Oil, One-day Conference, 11 October 2005, London
This conference will aim to discuss the problems arising from a peak in
oil production, and to begin to plan responses to ameliorate those problems.
It is aimed at policy-makers, business people, NGOs and individuals who
use energy or eat food.
The event will be chaired by Dr Ian Gibson, MP, Chair of the Science and
Technology Committee of the House of Commons
Speakers include
Michael Meacher MP Former Environment Minister
Chris Skrebowski Editor, Petroleum Review
Tim Lang Professor of Food Policy, City University
Andrew Simms Policy Director, New Economics Foundation
Richard Douthwaite Author of "When the Wells Run Dry"
Keith Tovey Reader in Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia
The conference will take place at The Insurance Hall, London EC2 from
09:30 to 4:00.
The fee (including lunch) is
£50 for private-sector and public-sector organisations
£25 for NGOs and individuals
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